Meet the 'Crazy Rich Asians' Cast

The romantic comedy has the first all-Asian ensemble in a Hollywood movie in 25 years.

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Published August 3, 2018

Published 11 days ago

The movie "Crazy Rich Asians" will premiere in theaters on Aug. 15 with some crazy high hopes. Based on the best-selling 2013 novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan, it's also the first Hollywood movie with an all-Asian cast since 1993's "Joy Luck Club." A glossy romantic comedy about a woman (Constance Wu) who discovers just how wealthy her Singaporean boyfriend (Henry Golding) and his family are, "Asians" is coming at a time when statistics are shockingly poor: Last year, only 5 percent of the characters in the 100 top-grossing films were of Asian descent. The stakes for "Crazy Rich Asians" were underlined in a recent Hollywood Reporter story about Kwan and the movie's director, Jon M. Chu, who revealed they turned down a wildly lucrative offer from Netflix to pursue a traditional movie deal. "Jon and I both felt this sense of purpose," Kwan told THR. "We needed this to be an old-fashioned cinematic experience, not for fans to sit in front of a TV." Here, a closer look at the cast.

Michael Tran/FilmMagicCONSTANCE WUBest known for her role in "Fresh Off the Boat," Wu plays heroine Rachel Chu, a college professor who travels to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family. The 36-year-old actress was born and raised in Richmond, VA, to Taiwanese parents. In a post on Twitter, Wu wrote about the significance of "Crazy Rich Asians". "Before CRA, I hadn't even done a tiny part in a studio film... I never dreamed I would get to star in one...because I had never seen that happen to someone who looked like me.... I hope Asian American kids watch CRA and realize they can be the heroes of their own stories."

Gabe Ginsberg/Getty ImagesHENRY GOLDINGThe leading man of "Crazy Rich Asians", who plays Nick Young, the son of the titular "crazy rich" family, Golding first came to the casting team's attention for his BBC travel videos. When Chu saw his audition, he knew Golding was the guy, even though he'd never acted in a movie before. "He's like John F. Kennedy Jr. in New York," Chu told THR, "cooler than any of these [other] guys we were reading, and he's not even trying." Born in Malaysia to a Malaysian mother and a British father, he moved to the U.K. at age 7, and his casting initially caused a bit of controversy due to his mixed-race heritage. "I always think, ‘What is the litmus test for being Asian enough?’" Golding, now 31, said of the controversy.

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Vera Anderson/WireImageAWKWAFINAThe rapper-turned-actor, who just costarred in "Ocean's 8", plays Rachel's best friend, Goh Peik Lin. Awkwafina first found fame when her 2013 song "My Vag" went viral. The 30-year-old mixes her NYC authenticity with a bit of outrageous humor to reach her ever-growing audience. On working with an all-Asian cast, Awkwafina told THR, "We've all been 'that Asian' on set at one point. That dynamic didn't exist here."Michael Tran/FilmMagicMICHELLE YEOHAn icon of Hong Kong cinema, the Malaysia-born Yeoh shot to fame in the U.S. after showing off her martial arts skills in 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". Her two decades of acting credits also include the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies" and, more recently, "Star Trek: Discovery." Now, she plays the matriarch of the crazy rich Young family, Eleanor.

Alexander Tamargo/Getty ImagesKEN JEONGBest known for his role on "Community", Jeong will play Peik Lin's goofy (and wealthy) dad, Goh Wye Mun.Alexander Tamargo/Getty ImagesNICO SANTOSA costar on TV's "Superstore," Santos plays the snarky gay ally to Rachel. The Filipino actor told HuffPost, "The fact that I get to play a queer Filipino on television and another queer character in 'Crazy Rich Asians' is huge. I never thought I’d have a career being myself. I always thought that being an actor in Hollywood meant that I would have to put that side of me on the back burner."Samir Hussein/WireImageGEMMA CHANChan, known for her role on the AMC series "Humans", plays Astrid Leong, a fashion icon in Singapore and Nick Young's favorite cousin.

Michael Tullberg/Getty ImagesCHRIS PANGThe plot of the movie has Nick Young bringing his girlfriend home to Singapore for his best friend's wedding. Pang plays that best bud. You may have seen Pang before in the Netflix series "Marco Polo."NIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty ImagesSONOYA MIZUNOMizuno plays the other half of the newlyweds-to-be. Mizuno, a former ballet dancer, had a role in "La La Land" and models for Calvin Klein and Beyoncé's Ivy Park.Brad Barket/Getty Images for Comedy CentralRONNY CHIENGFinally out from behind "The Daily Show" desk, comedian Chieng plays Nick Young's cousin, who is obsessed with with the social status of his family.

Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesLISA LULu plays Nick's grandmother and also appeared in 1993's "The Joy Luck Club." The 91-year-old was a performer in Chinese operas before she made her American television debut in 1958 in a western.Steve Granitz/WireImageHARRY SHUM JR."Glee" fans rejoice! Shum shows up in the minor role as Astrid's former fiancée.Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesKEVIN KWAN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AND CREATOR OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL"Crazy Rich Asians" is based on the best-selling first novel of a trilogy written by Kwan. Studios and producers vied for the film rights, but Kwan, an executive producer on the movie, knew he wanted to make the biggest splash possible. (While fielding pitches, he told THR that at least one producer suggested he turn his main character into a white woman.)

Michael Tullberg/Getty ImagesDIRECTOR JON M. CHUBefore helming "Asians," Chu was best known for directing "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation." He's developing a film version of the Thai cave rescue that he promises will avoid the typical Hollywood whitewashing.Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Warner BrothersTHE 'CRAZY RICH ASIANS' CAST ON PRESS TOUR